The African National Congress (ANC) has reached more than 10-million votes, according to the latest results released at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) centre in Pretoria.

Applause rang out at the centre as the party leading the race notched up 10 074 911 votes on Friday afternoon.

The ANC had secured 66,59% of the vote, according to data interpreted by the IEC.

A total of 15 339 164 votes had been counted from Wednesday's elections for which a record 23 181 997 voters had registered. The completed votes tally crept towards the three-quarter mark as the afternoon wore on.

The Democratic Alliance's (DA) status as the official opposition remained safe with 2 406 638 votes (15,91%). The Congress of the People (Cope) was a distant third with 1 136,256 votes (7,51%).

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) was fourth with 672 648 votes (4,45%), followed by the Independent Democrats (ID) with 137 455 votes (0,91%).

Nipping at its heel for sixth position was the Freedom Front Plus with 132 546 votes (0,88%).

The total number of votes cast was not yet known, but the IEC estimated voter turn-out to be about 77%.

Earlier, leaders of smaller parties like the IFP and FF+ indicated coalitions might be a way to beef up their standing in the legislature, with ID leader Patricia de Lille alluding to some form of merger.

No objections

Meanwhile, just before 1pm on Friday, no objections to national and provincial elections had been received by political parties, an excited IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam said in Pretoria.

"The good news is that we aren't getting objections by parties. It's a miracle," said Bam, rubbing her hands with glee.

"So far so good."

Bam said legal objections or complaints were dealt with by the Electoral Court. Parties had until midnight to lay objections.

She again reiterated her delight at the number of voters, especially the unprecedented number of youth who had turned out en masse to vote for the first time.

"In this case we are excited."

She said the vibrancy and enthusiasm of these elections echoed that of 1994.

While she acknowledged the long queues, Bam was hopeful people had managed to retain their high spirits.

"I hope people weren't standing in line looking miserable. We hope they were standing in line looking forward to it."

She said the fact that so many voters had turned out to vote meant the new administration would be accountable to more people.

"Elections are a foundation, but it is an important one. Every country has the right to have a government that is accountable to its citizens. For democracy I think we have a future."

She said, however, that political parties would not find their jobs easy as many were small and did not have as many resources. -- Sapa

South Africa's ruling African National Congress on Friday retained an overwhelming lead in general polls ahead of imminent victory that will take its leader Jacob Zuma to the presidency.

Zuma's supporters sang and danced in the streets of Johannesburg on Thursday night, celebrating the party's hold of the lion's share of called ballots with firecrackers and champagne.

"We know that counting is still going on, but we can smell a 70 percent" majority, Zuma told 2,000 supporters from a stage where he danced with singers.

With ballots counted from more than half the registered electorate, the ANC had just under 67 percent of the vote on Friday as millions of supporters put their faith in Zuma despite corruption charges dropped just two weeks ago.

The ANC seemed certain to hold onto a two-thirds majority in the next parliament that would name the popular but controversial leader as the new head of state in early May.

Final results were expected later Friday but it seemed little could sway the outcome, while the threat posed by a breakaway group, the Congress of the People (COPE), appeared to have fizzled out.

The splinter party formed by supporters of former president and Zuma rival Thabo Mbeki looked to have taken nearly eight percent.

The main opposition Democratic Alliance was at just under 16 percent, but looked set to grab a decisive majority in the Western Cape province, which includes Cape Town, for the first time ever.

South African newspapers on Friday said Zuma was undoubtedly the next president but that he had Nelson Mandela's legacy to uphold amid massive challenges ahead.

"If he is not yet frightened by the magnitude of unemployment, poverty and crime, and by faltering health and education systems, then he will be soon," respected weekly the Mail&Guardian wrote in its editorial.

"He can go down as the man who betrayed Madiba's (Mandela) legacy or the man who delivered his promise."

The main question now was whether the ANC would hold on to its two-thirds majority, which the party has held for five years, allowing it to make changes to the constitution.

"I don't think the ANC wants to do that, it has had six or seven years of a two thirds majority. There have been some changes to the constitution but they have been minor," said political analyst Adam Habib.

Dissatisfaction with service delivery failures and political crises over the past few years, as well as the scandal around Zuma, are credited with luring a record 23 million people to register to vote.

Initial estimates indicated turnout at about 77 percent.

Overflowing ballot boxes and long queues saw the heavy turnout compared with the country's first democratic vote in 1994 when Mandela became the first black president after decades of white-minority rule.

Despite an otherwise peaceful poll, a COPE party official in the Eastern Cape was shot dead by three armed men in an attack on his home.

Zuma has experienced massive support in the midst of corruption charges and factionalism in the ANC from his mainly working-class devotees who hope the populist leader is their ticket to improved public service and more jobs.

Zuma is seen as the antithesis of Mbeki who managed impressive economic growth, but failed to tackle the world's largest AIDS rates with denialist policies while denying the staggering crime rate was a crisis.

The son of a housekeeper, Zuma was a stalwart of the struggle against white minority rule, and spent a decade jailed alongside Mandela on Robben Island.

He became deputy to former president Mbeki, but the two developed a fierce rivalry, and Mbeki sacked him in 2005.

Zuma seized the leadership of the ANC away from Mbeki in 2007, and the party took less than a year to dismiss Mbeki as president.

24/04/2009 13:24 PRETORIA, April 24 (AFP)

Zuma presidency in reach as ANC cements SAfrica poll lead

South Africa's ruling ANC cemented on Friday its lead in general polls, setting the stage for a Jacob Zuma presidency where he will face pressing demands from the poor in a sagging economy.

Zuma's supporters in the African National Congress already started celebrating, singing and dancing in the streets of Johannesburg on Thursday night, with a new party set for Friday evening.

With 15 million ballots counted, the ANC had 10 million votes, leaving it poised for another two-thirds majority in the next parliament that would elect the popular but controversial Zuma as the new head of state in early May.

"Ten million represents the fact that we've undoubtedly and undeniably been given a mandate to govern," ANC spokeswoman Jessie Duarte said.

"That secures it for us. There's no turning back. You can't turn back from 10 million. It's a clear specific benchmark mandate," she said, adding however that victory would not be officially declared until later.

Final results might not arrive until Saturday, but the outcome seemed certain as the threat posed by a breakaway group, the Congress of the People (COPE), appeared to have fizzled out.

The splinter party formed by supporters of former president Thabo Mbeki, Zuma's arch rival, looked to have taken 7.5 percent.

The main opposition Democratic Alliance was at nearly 16 percent, but looked set to grab the Western Cape province, which includes Cape Town, for the first time.

The main question now was whether the ANC would hold on to its two-thirds majority, which the party won outright five years ago and previously held in a coalition agreement, allowing it to make changes to the constitution.

"It's really one of those cliffhangers of this election," political analyst Susan Booysen told AFP, but added that the party has yet to use its supermajority to impose major amendments.

Zuma -- whose legal woes include being fired as deputy president, a rape acquittal, and the recent dropping of graft charges due to political meddling -- will enter office under intense scrutiny that bodes well for clean governance, she said.

"Mr Zuma knows he's so watched. There are few presidents anywhere in the world that come into power so watched," said Booysen.

"The question marks are really never going to go away. But it is going to be business and let's move forward from now."

Dissatisfaction with public services and political crises over the past few years, as well as the scandal around Zuma, are credited with luring a record 23 million people to register to vote.

Initial estimates indicated turnout at about 77 percent.

Zuma has experienced massive support from his mainly working-class devotees who hope the populist leader is their ticket to improved public service and more jobs.

The son of a housekeeper is seen as the antithesis of Mbeki who managed impressive economic growth, but failed to tackle the world's largest HIV rates while minimising the nation's staggering crime rate.

Zuma was a stalwart of the struggle against white minority rule, and spent a decade jailed alongside Mandela on Robben Island.

He became deputy to former president Mbeki, but the two developed a fierce rivalry, and Mbeki sacked him in 2005.

Zuma seized the leadership of the ANC away from Mbeki in December 2007, and nine months later the party dismissed Mbeki as president.

SADC: Elections free and fair

Apr 24 2009 13:12

South Africa's fourth democratic elections took place in a peaceful atmosphere, the Southern African Development Corporation (SADC) electoral observer mission said on Friday.

"The elections were fair, transparent and credible," announced mission head Clement Dlamini in Pretoria.

In the run-up to the elections, political parties were allowed to hold rallies without interference, which indicated tolerance among parties.

"Political parties followed relevant legislation to address election-related issues affecting them with the electoral commission," he said.

Dlamini said they had observed that counting of ballot papers started immediately after closing of polling station.

"The vote counting process was conducted meticulously and lawful ... the results were recorded in results slips."

He said the counting was done in the presence of party agents who then signed the results slips.

The mission, however, raised concerns about the use of card box ballot boxes and the presence of political stands near polling stations.

Dlamini said the mission recommended that South Africa in future use translucent ballot boxes and amend the electoral law to prohibit political activities within the vicinity of the polling stations.

While concerns such as teachers acting as electoral officers were valid, it did not discredit the election, he added.

Dlamini explained that teachers were perceived not to be impartial by virtue of being members of the South African Democratic Teacher's Union (Sadtu), which had endorsed the ANC.

He urged political parties and candidates to respect the will of the people.

"Any grievances that they might have should be pursued in line with the relevant laws of the country," he said. -- Sapa

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The Pan-African News Wire is an international electronic press service designed to foster intelligent discussion on the affairs of African people throughout the continent and the world. The press agency was founded in January of 1998 and has published thousands of articles and dispatches in newspapers, magazines, journals, research reports, blogs and websites throughout the world.
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PANW editor Abayomi Azikiwe is often solicited by various newspaper, radio and television stations for comment and analysis on local, national and world affairs. He serves as a political analyst for Press TV and RT worldwide satellite television news networks as well as other international media in the areas of African and world affairs. He has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including Al Jazeera, CCTV, BBC, NPR, Radio Netherlands, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, South Africa Radio 786, Belgian Pirate Radio, TVC Nigeria and others.